'Tina Turner will therefore also give back her US citizenship,' she said.

Earlier this month, actor Gerard Depardieu announced he was renouncing his French citizenship because of the country's high taxes, and was promptly offered Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin.

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Tina's move has sparked rumors she is following in the footsteps of
Depardieu and Facebook's Eduardo Saverin, who now calls Singapore, with
its 18 per cent tax rate, home.

Wealthy socialite Denise Rich, born Denise Eisenberg, renounced her U.S. last year. She was married to billionaire commodities trader Marc Rich, controversially pardoned by Bill Clinton his last day in office.

Denise has written songs for Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and Jessica Simpson.

But Forbes says of the singer's move: 'There’s little to suggest taxes
motivate the decision, and Swiss rates are high.'

Proud American: U.S. President George W. Bush congratulates Tina Turner during a reception for the Kennedy Center Honors in the East Room of the White House

Idyllic: The village of Kuesnacht near Zurich, where Tina and her long-term partner have lived since the mid 90s, is now her permanent home

The mayor of Tina's hometown in Brownsville, Tennessee, said he was surprised at the news.

'Tina Turner - as she has gotten worldwide fame - has never forgotten her roots,' Mayor Jo Matherne told Fox. 'We’ve been in recent contact with some of her people talking about some projects we have in Brownsville.'

Matherne said she was unsure how residents would react to the news of Turner’s citizenship swap.

'I
think anytime a person, whether they’re world-renowned or the most meek
and mild, makes the decision to change their citizenship we need to
step back and think what causes that decision,' Matherne said.

Warm welcome: Depardieu was offered citizenship and a passport by the Russian President

Mr popular: Eduardo Saverin now lives in Singapore, and is never short of female company

Wealthy: Denise Rich, a songwriter who was
married to pardoned billionaire trader Marc Rich, has denounced her
American citizenship and will save millions in U.S. tax bills

The singer, who has sold 200 million
records, first came to Zurich with her longtime partner, German music
manager Erwin Bach.

Turner
recently passed a local civics test and interview according to an
official announcement published in the Zuerichsee-Zeitung daily.

The
73-year-old's music is popular in Switzerland, with a spiritual singing
album she released in 2009 peaking at number seven in the Swiss charts.
Children Beyond, a 2011 follow-up, also made the Swiss charts. Turner
is currently recording Beyond 2.

Her agent did not return MailOnline's request for comment. about whether the move was for tax reasons.